Chibchan
Chibchan is the name of an indigenous language family spoken in Colombia and Central America. The name is derived from the name of an extinct language called Chibcha or Muisca, spoken by the people who lived in the city of Bogota at the time of the European invasion. However, genetic and linguistic data now indicate that the original hearth of Chibchan languages and Chibchan-speaking peoples may not have been in Colombia at all, but in Costa Rica and Panama, where one finds the greatest diversity in Chibchan languages.Linguist Adolfo Constenla (1981, 1991, 1995) has created a detailed classification of Chibchan languages. Most of these fall into the Southern Chibchan categories of Votic, Isthmic, and Magdalenic subgroups. The following list is a slight modification of Constenla's groupings.
Northern Group
- Pech (Paya, Taya, Tawka, Seco) north-central Honduras
- Rama southeastern Nicaragua
- Voto Costa Rica, extinct
- Maleku (Guatuso), north-central Costa Rica
- CorobicÃÂÃÂ northwestern Costa Rica
- HÃÂüetar (GÃÂüetar), Costa Rica, extinct
- Bribri (Talamanca), Costa Rica
- CabÃÂécar (Talamanca), Costa Rica
- Boruca (Brunca, Brunka), Costa Rica, nearly extinct
- ChÃÂánguena Costa Rica & Panama, extinct
- Teribe (TÃÂérraba, Tiribi, Teribe, NorteÃÂño, Quequexque, Naso), Panama and Costa Rica
- Movere (Move), central Panama
- Ngabere (Western - GuaymÃÂÃÂ, Valiente, ChiriquÃÂÃÂ, NgÃÂábere; Eastern - TolÃÂé, ChiriquÃÂÃÂ, Ngobere, NgÃÂäbere'), Costa Rica and Panama
- Buglere (Bokota, Bogota, Bofota, Bobota, Bukueta, BuglÃÂé, Nortenyo, Murire, Sabanero, Veraguas Sabanero), Panama
- Dorasque Panama, nearly extinct
- Kuna (Cuna, San BlÃÂás Kuna, Paya-Pucuro Kuna, Caiman Nuevo, Dulegaya), Panama and Colombia
- Chibcha (Muisca, Mosca) Colombia, extinct
- Tunebo Colombia
- Guamaca (Guamaka, Malayo, Marocacero, Marocasero, Maracaserro, SancÃÂá, Sanja, Sanka, Arosario, Arsario, Wiwa, Huihua) Colombia
- Damana Colombia
- Atanques Colombia
- Ica (Arahuaco, Aruaco, Bintuk, BÃÂÃÂntukua, Bintucua, Ica, Ijca, Ijka, Ika, Ike, BÃÂÃÂntucua, Bintuk, BÃÂÃÂntukua, Pebu) Colombia
- Cogui (Coghui, Cagaba, Kogi, Kogui, Kaggaba, Kagaba) Colombia
- Malayo (Arsario) Colombia and Venezuela
- Bari (MotilÃÂón, Motilone, Dobocubi), Colombia and Venezuela
- Chimila (Caca Weranos, San Jorge, Shimizya), Colombia
- Cueva Panama, extinct
- ZenÃÂú (SinÃÂú), northern Colombia
- CofÃÂán (KofÃÂán, Kofane, A'i), Ecuador and Colombia
- Yanomama Venezuela
Bogota speakers assert that their language is different from Buglere and wish to be seen as a separate people (meeting of the Coordinadora Nacional de Pueblos Indigenas de Panama, 2003).
A family called Macro-Chibchan is also hypothesized, which contains the Miskito and Paezan languages, but many linguists regard the concept of "Macro-Chibchan" as overly hypothetical and therefore of limited value. The most significant neighboring linguistic groups, with which there are important relationships, are Misumalpan (to the north) and Chocoan (to the south).
Needless to say, most of these indigenous languages are severely endangered and all of them require greater study and documentation.
Sources:
Constenla UmaÃÂña, A. (1981). Comparative Chibchan Phonology. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Constenla UmaÃÂña, Adolfo (1991). Las lenguas del ÃÂÃÂrea Intermedia: IntroducciÃÂón a su estudio areal, Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, San JosÃÂé.
Constenla UmaÃÂña, Adolfo (1995). Sobre el estudio diacrÃÂónico de las lenguas chibchenses y su contribuciÃÂón al conocimiento del pasado de sus hablantes. BoletÃÂÃÂn del Museo del Oro 38-39: 13-56.
Greenberg, Joseph H. (1987). Language in the Americas, Stanford University Press, Stanford.
A journal of Chibchan linguistics Estudios de LingÃÂüistica Chibcha is published by the Universidad de Costa Rica.